U.S. Rep. Austin Scott is the longest-serving of Georgia’s nine Republican congressmen, but you wouldn’t know it from the headlines he’s generated.
Tag: politics
Posted inColumns
Atlanta City Council approves Amsterdam Walk project
Atlanta City Council approved the redevelopment of Amsterdam Walk on Monday. It’s a decision that goes against the wishes of nearby residents and several neighborhood organizations. The council voted 8-6 in favor of the project, which will transform the shopping center into a large-scale mixed-use development with 1,100 housing units and roughly 1,400 parking spaces. […]
Posted inColumns
Stuck without a quorum, TVA charts a new course
Compared to other federal agencies, President Donald Trump’s dealings with the Tennessee Valley Authority haven’t drawn much attention outside the giant utility’s service area, but they have been stormy.
Posted inColumns
Neighbors opposed to Amsterdam Walk project are primed for City Council meeting
Residents near Amsterdam Walk say they’re prepared to speak out against a large-scale redevelopment project during Monday’s Atlanta City Council meeting. While public comment rules limit what they can say, they plan to make their concerns clear, warning that the proposed redevelopment plans by Portman Holdings are too large for the surrounding neighborhood and would […]
Posted inColumns
Firing the tax collectors is no way to reduce the national debt
It’s easy to muster sympathy for CDC scientists doing critical research and National Park rangers protecting the environment, but this April, the nation’s tax collectors could use some love as well.
Posted inColumns
When a campaign story creates backlash and conversation on race
In a recent SaportaReport story about the Sandy Springs mayoral race, I referred to candidate Dontaye Carter as “Black.” The sentence came just before a few lines on his platform, which includes a call for greater city support of minority-owned businesses and deeper engagement with Sandy Springs’ diverse communities. That single word — Black — […]
Posted inTom Baxter
Foreshortened session, resignation and long-awaited PSC races signal a political reset
This year’s General Assembly got off to a late start due to inclement weather, and ended unexpectedly with a number of issues still unresolved. In times as dangerous these, what more could a sensible lawmaker ask for?
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Move to stop hate speech in Sandy Springs sparks new concerns
In an effort to curb hate speech and regulate flyer distribution, Sandy Springs has approved new ordinances that some say may violate First Amendment rights. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation both say that the new laws infringe on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Flyers and pamphlets […]
Posted inColumns
In new administration, retribution trumps the price of eggs
A flurry of pundits, several polls and the president himself have all agreed that the last election came down to the price of eggs and bread. Did it?
Posted inColumns
Kemp’s big win, Ossoff’s race and Mississippi’s typos
It was fitting that after the last arms had been twisted and the deciding votes locked down, the concluding words spoken in opposition to Gov. Brian Kemp’s tort reform bill came not from Democrats, but indirectly from Donald Trump.
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Book events with Sen. Chuck Schumer, Amanda Knox, Journalist Anne Applebaum
The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta will host three authors with perspectives on some of the urgent and controversial issues of today. Separate events will feature Amanda Knox, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, and journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum discussing their latest books and more. “These events exemplify the mission of our Arts & […]
Posted inColumns
With swagger, DOGE approaches the third rail
Social Security is often called “the third rail of American politics,” a term that harkens back to the old streetcar days when most city folks understood that touching the third rail of a trolley line could kill you.
Posted inColumns
Wildfires, measles and the long-term effect of DOGE
We should probably be more worried about wildfires and measles than we have been so far.
Posted inTom Baxter
Trump and the wire services: When being there’s not worth it anymore
The wire services have a problem, and maybe also, a golden opportunity.
Posted inColumns
Questions remain over Carter Library’s move to cancel book events amid D.C. politics
The relocation of three book events that were scheduled to take place at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library continues to raise questions on whether the change was made due to the content of the books and influenced by the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C. A staff person at the Carter Presidential Library, […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi will resign in July to lead Galloway School
In an email shared Thursday afternoon, District 2 Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi announced he would resign from his position in July to serve as the next head of Buckhead’s The Galloway School. Farokhi’s move opens up the council seat ahead of the November 2025 election, when the mayor and all 16 council seats will […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Mayor Dickens tees up reelection campaign at State of the City business address
Amid cheering crowds at the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens used the annual State of the City business address on Feb. 25 to tee up his 2025 reelection campaign. The annual State of the City business address brings together political and corporate leaders to hear the mayor lay out the present and future […]
Posted inColumns
DOGE firings smack more of payback than efficiency
My dad was quite the joker. Sometimes, driving past a city or state work crew back in the 1950s, he’d roll down the car window and yell “Got it made!”
Posted inColumns
In harm’s way: The challenges of 21st Century warfare
Last week, a merchant ship bound from the Suez Canal to Romania collided with the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean.
Posted inColumns
Political disrupter Marianne Williamson shares why love can save the nation
Political and spiritual activist Marianne Williamson remains unwavering despite not reaching her goal in two separate runs for U.S. President (2020 and 2024) and an unsuccessful race to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. During those campaigns, and now, she is calling upon people — from politicians to everyday working men and women — […]
